Excalibur soon to release new album, embark on Texas Tour

Published 6:00 pm, Tuesday, November 18, 2003

They are four guys with wives, real jobs and one dream to hit it big in the music industry. Excalibur is a band that blends its rock-and-roll sound with its hard-knock experiences.

After 17 years of playing backup, the door is opening and all the pieces are in place for this one-time cover band to step into its own. Now it's ready, after spending more than six months in the studio and preparing to release its first album, to hit the road for a year-long tour.

"This band, Excalibur, has always been a cut above, I have always said 'rock with an edge,'" said Brad Banhagel, guitar and lead vocals. "Our music has always been high-class, high-caliber, Excalibur music."

Excalibur formed in 1986 and played the Houston club circuit, backing up the likes of Autograph, Head East and The Producers. Having made the essential contacts, Banhagel simply needed the right musicians and an opportunity.

Making up the band's members are Banhagel, David Landes, guitar, keyboards and vocals; Shihan Steve Hunter, drums and vocals; and Paul Stokes bass and vocals. Growing up with influences such as KISS and ZZ Top, the four men aspire to produce a sound second to none.

"There are a lot of bands out that can tell you they have a CD," Banhagel said. "We have been in the studio for over six months working on nine songs to make sure that it is going to be a good quality."

"We are real picky about what we do," Hunter said. "We want (fans) to keep coming out and having a good time because the music is for them. We love playing, but they have to like it."

The band's album, "Run For Your Life," is scheduled to be released sometime around Christmas. It speaks of the members' personal experiences and the title song talks about the clock ticking away.

Banhagel said that time is after you and you had better run for your life and get out of life what you can; you really have to go for it.

Going for it is what these guys are doing. With a unique blend of vocals and guitars, Excalibur rekindles a sound that has vanished from the rock scene during the last decade due to influences of Alternative, Punk and Pop music.

"There is lot of good music out there, but some of the stuff that is coming out today is real simplified," Banhagel said. "It is not as good a quality as what came out maybe 10 or 15 years ago and it is time to raise the bar a little bit."

To obtain that higher level, Excalibur incorporates into its music numerous guitar riffs and solos. The members each have the ability to sing lead, and obtain a balance between voices and instruments.

"We are bringing a lot of good vocals, drumming and good double-lead guitar like (fans) heard back in the days of Thin Lizzy and KISS," Banhagel said. "We have dual guitar players and dueling leads with double leads playing the same notes in harmonics to come out with a good sound."

Following the release of "Run For Your Life," the band will set out for an entire year of playing in venues from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City and possibly Las Vegas. Currently, the band plans to tour with Pat Travers beginning in February.

The road to Excalibur's future begins Saturday when the band kicks-off the Texas Tour and unveils seven of the nine album tracks in two one-hour-and-15-minute performances at Westfields by the Railroad.

Hunter said it has always been the band members' dream to make it in music.

"People are going to enjoy listening to our stuff," he said. "It is about life, about us and it is about everything that goes on in the world. Fans are going to be able to relate to us."

Tickets for Saturday's concert can be purchased in advance at Landes Music on Grogan's Mill Road or at Buke Ryu Dojo on Sawdust Road, both are in The Woodlands, for $5. Tickets at the door are $7.